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Iran appears to endorse lawmaker tapped to be Iraq’s next prime minister

By Patrick J. McDonnell and Ramin MostaghimLos Angeles Times(MCT)

IRBIL, Iraq — The lawmaker tapped to succeed Nouri al-Maliki as Iraq’s prime minister appeared to receive the backing Tuesday of neighboring Iran, a crucial Baghdad ally and major supporter of political factions and militias in the deeply divided nation.

The United States has already endorsed the nomination of Haider al-Abadi as Iraq’s next premier, the nation’s most powerful political post.

Analysts widely interpreted the remarks as an indication that the Iranian leadership was satisfied with the premier-designate and was not going to exert its considerable influence on behalf of al-Maliki, who has been pushing for a third term.

The comments from Tehran came a day after al-Abadi, a longtime Iraqi lawmaker and deputy speaker of the country’s parliament, was formally nominated to succeed al-Maliki.

Al-Maliki, who has become an extremely polarizing figure in Iraq, has vowed to challenge the move in court, calling it a “coup.”

Shamkhani, an Arabic speaker who recently visited Iraq, is secretary of Iran’s powerful Supreme National Security Council and is also said to be close to President Hasan Rouhani. His comments probably represent an official Iranian position, observers said.

The twin endorsements from Iraq’s two crucial allies — Iran and the United States — would appear to add momentum to al-Abadi’s nomination. The two adversarial nations have deep differences on a constellation of issues in the Middle East and elsewhere, but both now seem to agree that al-Maliki should step aside.

Iraq has been embroiled in a months-long political stalemate, even as the nation faces a grave threat from Sunni Muslim militants who have overrun much of the north and west. Critics say the prime minister’s policies pushed Iraq’s Sunni Arab minority into the militants’ camp, a charge rejected by al-Maliki and his allies.

Various Kurdish lawmakers and a leading Shiite Muslim militia on Tuesday also publicly backed al-Abadi, who, like al-Maliki, is a member of the Shiite majority in Iraq.

A number of Shiite groups and the nation’s leading Shiite cleric had called on al-Maliki to abandon his bid for a third term. Shiite Iran wields great influence with the Shiite factions in Iraq.

The Iraqi government operates under a power-sharing arrangement among Shiites, Sunni Arabs and ethnic Kurds.

Al-Abadi has 30 days to form a new government, which could be a contentious process. He must balance political demands and sectarian sensitivities in naming Cabinet members for what he has vowed will be an “inclusive” government.

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